Man missing since Thursday found in Paradise

James Joseph Nixon, missing since Thursday afternoon, was found about 3:30 p.m. Friday in good condition about 1,000 yards south of his Rainbow Ranch home.

Spotted from the air, Nixon, 75, was dehydrated and tired but otherwise in good condition, said Butte County Search and Rescue Spokesman Kevin Lucero.

Lucero said Nixon spent about 24 hours out in the elements after going missing at around 3 or 4 p.m. Thursday.

Rescue crews staged at the Tall Pines Bowling Alley while teams were sent to the Round Valley Ranch and Rainbow Ranch area for the search, working their way south from Nixon's home.

Once Nixon was found, emergency crews staged at the Paradise Airport. A helicopter rescue team was sent in and after about 15 minutes, Nixon was lifted out of the gulch.

Flying back to the airport, Search and Rescue member Scott Steele clung to Nixon as they dangled from the helicopter.

Paramedics quickly surrounded Nixon after he was released from the helicopter. Lucero said Nixon was taken to a local hospital for evaluation and will likely be given fluids intravenously.

Also found was the white Labrador that was with Nixon. Rescue crews hiked the dog out by foot.

Lucero said there didn't seem to be any intent on Nixon's part to walk away. Lucero said families need to keep an eye on their older relatives. As people get older, they are more prone to forgetfulness, even forgetting where they are or where they live.

Similar to watching a young child, "You take your eyes off them for one minute and something happens," he said. "It doesn't take very long."

He encouraged families to get in the habit of paying attention to what senior family members are wearing. Some families take pictures of their elderly loved ones every day, which helps rescue teams in case of a disappearance.

Before the rescue, Nixon was last seen Thursday at about 3 p.m. in the area of Rainbow Ranch Lane, just south of the Paradise town limits. He was reported missing at about 4 p.m. by a family member, Butte County Sheriff's Sgt. Steve Collins said.

"The family did their initial search and were unsuccessful, so they called us around 6 p.m.," Collins said. "(Thursday) we had dogs out and we had people driving vehicles, checking the roadways and trails and we flew it with our helicopter, but then it got dark, so our helicopter could no longer continue and we had CHP's helicopter come in and use its (heat thermal imaging) capabilities to continue that search in the air."

Butte County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue volunteers took a brief break at 2 a.m. Friday morning and reconvened at 5 a.m.